Needle bed of hand knitting machine



March 25, 1969 YOSHiAKl MlZUKl 3,434,307

NEEDLE BED OF HAND KNITTING MACHINE Filed April 15, 1967 Sheet of 5 .By r WMJ Hrrys.

March 25, 1969 YOSHIAKI MlZUKl 3,434,307

NEEDLE BED OF HAND KNITTING MACHINE Filed April 1:5, 1967 Sheet 2 of 3 o as March 25, 1969 YOSHIAKI MIZUKI NEEDLE BED OF HAND KNITTING MACHINE Sheet Filed April 13, 1967 yaw/m K/ M/ZUK/ 37%)? 7 7M) ,4 rrys.

United States Patent 3,434,307 NEEDLE BED 0F HAND KNITTING MACHINE Yoshiaki Mizuki, Tokyo, Japan, assignor to Empisal (Proprietary) Limited, Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa Filed Apr. 13, 1967, Ser. No. 630,646 Claims priority, appliiation Jtpan, Apr. 20, 1966,

Int. c1. D04b /10 US. Cl. 66-115 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to flat needle beds for domestic knitting machines of the kind in which a bank of latched and butted needles is arranged for individual oscillatory movement between a retracted position and a projected position under the compulsion of a camslide reciprocable along the length of the bed.

The usual construction of needle bed is a corrugated sheet suitably backed to stiffen it, the needles being slidably arranged within the corrugations. This construction has severe disadvantages, both as regards lack of rigidity and as regards replacement should it become damaged.

The object of the present invention is to propose an improved needle bed which is characterised by great rigidity at reasonable cost.

According to the invention, the needle bed comprises a plate laterally corrugated suitable slidably to receive a bank of needles, one of each corrugation, and the butts of which project above the plate; and longitudinal stiffening structure at the front and back of the plate. Preferably, the stiffening structure at the front of the plate is apertured for passage of the needles, and the stiffening structure at the rear of the plate brackets the plate and is secured to it; the two stiffening structures providing guide means for the camslide.

Further according to the invention, the front structure is extended to provide a gate for the needles, apertured for the forward ends of the needles to pass through it.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective view,

FIGURE 2 is a plan view,

FIGURE 3 is a side view, and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a plate with a plastic stiffening structure.

The needle bed consists of a corrugated plate 10, and front and rear stiffening structures generally labelled 12 and S4.

The plate 10 is formed with substantially rectangular corrugations. However, the valleys 16 of the corrugations are preferably rounded to conform to the contour of the needles 18 which are oscillatable within the corrugations. The needles have butts 20 which project above the plate to be engaged by the cam of a camslide reciprocable along the length of the bed, and which is not included in the drawings.

In itself, the plate 10 has little stability. It can twist and 3,434,307 Patented Mar. 25, 1969 warp easily. To stiffen it, the structures 12 and 54 are provided. Dealing first with the rear structure 12, it includes a lower part 22 of L section with a return 24. One limb 25 of the L is longer than the other and, at its end, is turned upwardly to form a flange 26 which is slotted to be intercalated with the corrugations of the plate from beneath. The structure 12 includes also an upper part 28, of Z-section, one limb 30 overlying the upper face of the plate 10 and the other part overlying the longer limb of the lower part 22 and being fastened to it by nuts and bolts 32. The nuts and bolts clamp the structure to the plate 10, with the limb 25 and the limb 30' bracketing the plate and holding it firmly between them.

The forward stiffening structure includes a Z-shaped upper part 34, one limb 36 of which overlies the front end of the plate 10 and the other part 38 of which projects forwardly from the plate to form a floor for the needles. It includes also an under part 40 which underlies the plate 10 and the part 38, to which it is secured by nuts and bolts 43. The plate 10 is clamped firmly between the limb 36 and the rear end of the under part 40. The rear of the part 40 is bent upwardly at 42 and slotted to be intercalated with the corrugations of the plate 10 from beneath. The part 40 is turned upwardly to form a curved gate 44 that is formed with a pattern of slots 46 for the forward ends of the needles to pass through them.

The web 48 of the part 34 is slotted for passage of the needles and is spaced from the forward end of the plate 10 to provide a sheath for a sliding bar 50 that overlies the needles and confines them slidably between itself and a resilient pad 52. The utility of the bar is that, should a needle become damaged, the bar is slid in its. sheath sufficiently to clear the damaged needle. The needle cam then be removed by moving it forward and drawing the needle from its guide by lifting its rear end. The tilting movement allows the needle to be drawn through the slot in the web 48. A new needle is introduced by the reverse procedure, and the bar is returned.

The front and rear stiffening structure are stabilised against separation by an underplate 54 or a series of underplates screwed to the limbs 25 and 40 which serve the additional function of stiffening the bed still further.

The bed is easily assembled, and as easily disassembled, by engaging or disengaging the nuts and bolts holding the several elements together. Any damaged part can therefore be quickly and cheaply replaced. The bed is characterised by great stiffness and rigidity. The full support for the needles promotes easy sliding, and the amplitude of oscillation is exactly prescribed by the presence of the front edge of the limb 30 and the rear edge of the limb 36, which act as stops for the needle butts 20. The facility for needle change has already been mentioned.

The limbs 30 and 36 constitute rails for the camslide, which is constrained against lateral displacement by being engaged by the flange 24.

In FIGURE 4, a plastic plate 38 the upper face of which is moulded complementally to the underface of the plate 10, is nested into the plate to act as a support or stiffener. Thus supported, the plate can be made of very thin, hard steel because its function is wear-resistance alone.

I claim:

1. A flat needle bed for a knitting machine comprising:

(a) a plate laterally corrugated to receive a bank of needles;

(b) support plate means located below the corrugated plate;

(c) first rigid stiffener means secured to the support plate means, which first stiffener means has a lip overlying the front longitudinal edge of the corrugated plate to clamp the plate edge, and an apertured upright member carrying the lip and lying in front of a substantial length of the front longitudinal edge of the corrugated plate with its apertures registering with the corrugations in the plate; and

(d) second rigid stiffener means separate and spaced from the first stiffener means, which second stiffener means is also secured to the support plate means and is located along and attached to the rear longitudinal edge of the corrugated plate.

2. A fiat needle bed as claimed in claim 1 wherein the first stiffener means comprises two plate members, one of which comprises the lip and the upright member and the other of which is located below the corrugated plate, the lower plate member having an upstanding flange which is slotted to form a plurality of fingers which fit between the plate corrugations from beneath the corrugated plate.

3. A flat needle bed as claimed in claim 2 wherein the lower plate member extends forwardly of the corrugated plate and has a second upstanding apertured flange that comprises a gate for the needles.

4. A fiat needle bed as claimed in claim 1 wherein the second stiffener means comprises two plate members, one of which comprises a lip overlying the rear longitudinal edge of the corrugated plate to clamp the plate edge, and an upright member carrying the lip and lying adjacent the rear longitudinal edge of the corrugated plate and the other of which plate members is located below the corrugated plate, the lower plate member having an upstanding flange which is slotted to form a plurality of fingers which fit between the plate corrugations from beneath the corrugated plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,748,581 6/1956 Luchsinger 66-115 3,053,064 9/1962 Terayama et a1 6660 3,250,093 5/1966 Tanaka 6660 FOREIGN PATENTS 591,365 7/1925 France. 1,107,617 1/1956 France.

159,430 4/ 1905 Germany.

961,740 4/ 1957 Germany.

825,342 12/ 1959 Great Britain.

330,790 8/ 1958 Switzerland.

RONALD FELDBAUM, Primary Examiner. 

